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For Samuels, the doctor is 'out'

When asked whether Pro Bowl left tackle Chris Samuels has met with physicians about his neck injury, Coach Jim Zorn gave an odd explanation of the situation.

League sources have said they expect Samuels to miss the remainder of the season and to contemplate retirement because of the injury he suffered in the Week 5 loss to the Carolina Panthers and stenosis (a narrowing of the spinal column that forces him to wear a protective brace when he plays). Officially, the Redskins have said only that Samuels, who sat out Sunday's loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, is awaiting additional opinions about his condition, and was scheduled to meet with a physician Tuesday.

"As far as Chris Samuels's position, he hasn't been able to do that because the doctor has actually been out," said Zorn, who said Samuels will not play Monday night against the Philadelphia Eagles at FedEx Field. "We haven't got him in to read the stuff yet. There have been several [doctors], but one of the key ones in California has not been able to read the pictures yet. So we're waiting for that."

So to hear the head coach tell it, Washington's NFL team has been waiting a week now to find out whether the injury to its best offensive lineman is career-threatening because the doctor who will render the "key" opinion is "out." Really?

Anyone else think that at some point next Monday, Lewis is gonna get confused and start calling plays like "B-15," "I-5," "G-9," and someone else in the headset will be like "Sherm, this ain't bingo buddy" to which Sherm will furrow his brow and call a sweep-right run play.

Also, just retire Chris, get as far away from Dan and Vinny's sh!thole as you possibly can. go, run, run as fast as you can and don't look back.

So to hear the head coach tell it, Washington's NFL team has been waiting a week now to find out whether the injury to its best offensive lineman is career-threatening because the doctor who will render the "key" opinion is "out." Really?
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Yes. Really.

The same way we had to wait a day to get your opinion because you were "out" yesterday.

This absolutely is not the bleakest it can get for the Skins come down of that ledge right now. This is baaaaaaaad, real bad, but it very much could get worse. Snyder is a big problem, and he's a constant he's not going to fire himself. However, he is also the easiest fix of our problems. Zorn isn't going to become a good coach and Vinny isn't going to become a good personnel guy but Snyder can easily become a good owner. Positives about him already, he is willing to spend money on the roster and while he has a penchant for trying to make the big splash in hiring and talent acquisition from a personal standpoint he is very spotlight adverse. The downside is he thinks he knows about football when he doesn't. All Snyder needs to do to be one of the best owners in the league is to finally admit that he isn't capable of running the football side of the operation, hire an experienced proven GM and get hell out of the way, if he does that everything can and will right itself very quickly. However, the bleakest day in Redskins history will be if after 10 years and the rapid fall to being the joke of the NFL Snyder's ego still makes him think that for some reason he and Vinny can still do this and he fires Zorn, does another cockamamie coaching search and keeps himself and/or Vinny involved in anyway with personnel decisions. That would be the bleakest day in the history of the Redskins.....and also the day I stop being a fan.

Maybe we should beam transmissions of Redskins games into Iran and North Korea. They'll be begging for mercy in no time! Or we could put Donald Rumsfeld in charge of changing regimes at the Park. We could get Colin Powell to give a presentation of Zorn's tenure that will definitely get the international community on board.

I just reread what I wrote and realized that NONE of these ideas is any sillier/crazier than hiring Sherman Lewis away from Meals on Wheels Bingo to coach the Washington Redskins. There is just no way to exaggerate this situation.

you just can't make this stuff up....total disgrace.... a good part of me now wants complelete and total shelackings and beatdowns the rest of the way...i'll still watch...but for sndyer to get rid of vinny and start over with a real gm it has to get out of control ugly the rest of the way...good bet it will....

In press conference, did anyone ask why Chris Cooley was on the sideline on that pathetic last drive attempt? Isn't he our best hope at getting some yards or being able to run out of bounds to get closer to a doable hail mary with Todd's weak arm?

A decision on the quarterback will be made before Thursday, Zorn said.

from JR's blog entry earlier today

If you can't decide on your QB on Tuesday, you should be fired. Zorn has done this repeatedly. Wait to make a decision, then say we have execution problems.

He did it at WR, at RG and now he's doing it again at QB.

Pick the starter and let him practice as much as possible. If I'm Collins, I call Zorn today and tell him if you want me to start, name me QB today so I can work with the first team all week.

As for Campbell, he'll get another shot, whether its this week or not. As we've seen, lots of good QBs have been benched at times in their careers. McNabb got benched last year and even Sonny got benched. It happens and its how you deal with it.

zJack, The Owner has to fire himself in his capacity as part time head coach and trump card GM. Vinny didn't go out looking for Haynesworth on his own ... not with the needs they had elsewhere (#4 defense last year?). Both Grilliams and LaVar have said that it was not Grilliams who benched him, but "upstairs."

If the Owner wants to become a better owner, he has to hire good people and let them do their jobs. "Spending more time discussing the offense with Zorn than usual?" Tell me that other owners take the head coach of a struggling team away from time better spent actually ... working on that struggle. What on this green earth would EVER inspire ANY coach to take their precious time to "work through" issue on offense with Daniel Snyder!?!?! The guy who JUST castrated the offensive coordinator (hired to be the damb OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR ... who had to take the head coach job because EVERYONE ELSE KNEW BETTER) by bringing in "another set of eyes"!

I'm still pissed that Gregg Williams is not the head coach. Couldn't get past the four days of interviews with the head CHOOCH.

"Positives about him already, he is willing to spend money on the roster and while he has a penchant for trying to make the big splash in hiring and talent acquisition from a personal standpoint he is very spotlight adverse. The downside is he thinks he knows about football when he doesn't. All Snyder needs to do to be one of the best owners in the league is to finally admit that he isn't capable of running the football side of the operation, hire an experienced proven GM and get hell out of the way, if he does that everything can and will right itself very quickly."

To all those that think this defense is something special you may be in for a rude awakening. We have been playing teams that are getting shut out by other opponents. What is going to be bad is when the defense proves they arent all that either.

So to hear the head coach tell it, Washington's NFL team has been waiting a week now to find out whether the injury to its best offensive lineman is career-threatening because the doctor who will render the "key" opinion is "out." Really?

By JReid
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This is Bullcrap. If Sameuls is oging to be out for the year, WTF is the big deal? Oh...A roster spot? We're losing a roster spot.

F That. Sameuls is the longest tenured Redskin we have. Don't make smug remarks. Give repect where respect is due.

And maybe Sameuls will come back. No one said it is definite. If this doctor, who may be on the same level as Dr. Andrews, was on a vacation...You think he's going to leave early just for some Football player? No.

It's like Vinnie (Dorothy...and Danny playing Toto in The Wizard of OZ) just thought of the O line short comings was along the lines of 'Close his eyes, click your heels three times, and you'll be right back in Kansas'. And he must have thought that Coach Buges was the 'Wizard' who could work his magic with a little smoke and mirrors hiding any injuries to our aging vets and just sprinkle some fairy dust so our plethora of 21, 22, and 23 year old undrafted college linemen and has-beens could plow Clinton's 'yellow brick road' and guard Campbell against the flying monkeys.....

Unfortunately, it's not a fairy tale or even some fantasy kids story. It's a living nightmare in which all of us wake up to a little more 'Freddie' EVERY SINGLE DAY, WEEK and SEASON of this utterly and completely dysfunctional organization...

There's no more fight in me against my NFC East brethen....I just sigh and agree as the rain of laughter pours down....like a whipped, whimpering dog with his nose to the ground, cowering, tail between his legs in utter submission.

Positives about him already, ... and while he has a penchant for trying to make the big splash in hiring and talent acquisition from a personal standpoint he is very spotlight adverse. ..."

Posted by: zjfr2 | October 19, 2009 5:14 P

OK, but how is avoiding the spotlight a positive? Its clear he's been calling the shots ... the fans have never had an accountability moment ... he's afraid of media questions ... I don't see that as a positive. I see that as straight up cowardice.

Samuels should just agree to pull the chute and go on injured reserve/retired. Maybe he doesn't get the whole balance due on his contract, but he gets a full year of good money and can get away with his life in non-totally-fSJKed condition, then due whatever it is that he has planned to do next.

Are there contract/money considerations that play into whether the team's doctor says Samuels should play (now or next year)?

Call me a cynic, but watching the league deny that football has anything to do with early dementia or, really, anything else whatsoever makes me assume that anyone being paid by someone other than the player (independently) is on the take from the league.

So do those of you who live in the DC area wonder how poor your local healthcare is that players all leave town with anything more complicated than a hang nail? The old adage that the best place to go in DC when you are sick is the airport sure seems to be alive and well.

Benchcampbell, You got your wish Campbell was on the bench for the 2nd half. Skins lead 6-3 in 3rd qtr. Guess what? Skins lose with Collins at QB. He did have that one completion to Moss and I was excited as anyone. In the longrun Collins is not the answer. His quick release wasn't in evidence when he was sacked for a safety. Truth is that there are 32 teams and just a handfull of STAR QBs. Campbell is better than a lot of QBs in this league, he had a bad day yesterday. But the truth is that there are more pressing needs for this team.

JC17 will perform better without the odd comments in his ear from zorn.
todd collins is not the answer first cover 2 defense we see will reander him ineffective.
20 yards only on his heat. Remeber Seattle.
Oh yeah drops too.
Lewis has nothing to lose. He will ream these guys behind closed doors.

I can't believe this. Now we're going to lose our best lineman and possibly the best tackle in the game? This injury is probably much more severe than it should have been because CS kept playing knowing that no one else behind him was good enough to fill in for blindside protection. If he prematurely retires, I blame this entirely on Snyder for not giving Samuels enough help on the line.

And FYI Danny boy, please take note; Chris Samuels was the #3 overall pick in the 2000 Draft and look what happens: arguably the best blindside O-lineman in the game, up to Week 5 missed only 8 games over 10 seasons, and 6 Pro Bowls in 9 seasons.

They've had several doctors look at it but they (and Samuels) want one last specialist to take a look before announcing if he'll play again. There's a consensus that he's shut down for an extended period of time. Who know's why this doctor hasn't been able to read the tests? Maybe he had a death in the family, maybe he's hiking in Nepal. What difference does it make? This Reid kid really has poor instincts on what's an issue and what's not.